Delhi sees hottest April in 12 years

Delhi has recorded the hottest April in the past 12 years, going by data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), reports The Indian Express.

The average maximum temperature in April this year was 40.2 degrees Celsius, the highest since 2010 when the average for the month stood at 40.4 degrees Celsius. In the past 72 years, from 1951, the average maximum temperature in April has crossed 40 degrees only twice – in 2010 and now in 2022. The average in April last year was 37.3 degrees, while it was an even lower figure of 35.3 degrees in 2020, at the Safdarjung weather observatory, which provides representative data for the city.

Delhi is already in the midst of the third heat wave spell of this summer. On Friday, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung was 43.5 degrees, five degrees above normal, marking the second day of the heat wave conditions in the national capital. The maximum temperature was high even before noon on Friday, standing at around 40.4 degrees at 11.30 am.

Other weather stations recorded even higher temperatures — the Ridge in north Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 45.7 degrees for the first time this season, while the CWG Sports Complex in East Delhi surpassed Thursday’s temperature of 46 degrees to hit 46.4 degrees on Friday. Gurgaon recorded a maximum temperature of 45.9 degrees Celsius, the highest so far this season.

In the past 72 years, the lowest average maximum temperature at Safdarjung in April was 30.57 degrees in 1983, nearly ten degrees lower than the average maximum temperature recorded for the month this year.

Heat wave conditions remain on the forecast for the weekend as well. There is likely to be no significant change in the maximum temperature over northwest India till May 2, after which it could fall by two to three degrees.